Utility lines are used to transmit power from a generating facility to a distribution point. Typically, high voltage conductor lines are bundled over long distances to efficiently and economically transfer power and must be spaced from one another to avoid damage.
Damage to individual conductors in bundled electrical transmission lines may be caused by unwanted movement of the conductors. Typical types of conductor movement include short-wave or Aeolian vibrations, subspan or wake-induced oscillations, and long-wave vibrations or galloping. Motion in the conductors can lead to strain and stress on the conductors or the conductor support structures and damage can result from medium and high intensity short period events or low intensity continuous Aeolian vibrations. Flashover can also occur where two conductors of different phases come near each other or touch, leading to a power surge that triggers a circuit breaker. Such undesired motions may be induced by the wind, and may have longitudinal, transverse and vertical components. Suppressing and damping of these vibrations and oscillations requires a resilient connection between the conductors (both phase to phase and within a bundle) being spaced from one another while allowing a limited amount of flexing to occur.
The motion of the conductors in a bundle may also be caused by electrical power surges, which cause the conductors in a bundle to be attracted toward the center thereof. For example, in a bundle of three conductors defining, in cross section, a triangle, a surge causes the conductors to be attracted to a point at the center of the triangle. Similarly, in a bundle of four conductors defining, in cross section, a quadrilateral, a surge causes the conductors to be attracted to a point at the center of the quadrilateral.